"We've probably seen 'professional' wedding photographers lose work to amateurs (and these amateurs aren't always bad at it!); we've seen amateurs charging low costs for prints because they don't have to make up the cost of their equipment; "

reminds me of a study i saw on neighborhood ecology. they found that house cats were significantly more effective hunters than the local owls and foxes and other predators, even though the cats were basically doing it for fun ... they had meals waiting at home.

there's no sense of fair play in the jungle--or the back yard! the more efficient hunter gets the prey.

If you're a full time pro, with all the shiny pro gear, and you can't find a way to be better and more efficient than joe hobbyist, then maybe it's time to consider a different line of work.

i know that if i were a client looking for a photographer for a job, it wouldn't matter at all to me how they pay their rent. i'd look at their book, at their prices, and at how i like dealing with them. the good news for pros is that they usually are better at commercial work. i'd hope they would be ... they do it all day long.